Ornamental railing systems wherein the sole vertical supporting means comprises a plurality of aligned glass panels are widely used for mounting alongside a stairway or other building surface. The glass panels of such ornamental railing systems are typically set in a base assembly and topped by a cap rail. One example of such a glass handrail system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Re. No. 28,643.
The tempered glass panels which are utilized in such ornamental handrail systems are adhered to a base runner by means of a structural adhesive, silicone, or grout. In this process, edge spacers, setting blocks, and glazing temporaries are necessary for proper setting and alignment of the glass panels. The amount of labor required to assemble these elements is substantial, and the number of components required to accomplish installation is considerable. A need therefore exists for a means of assembly which affords vertical adjustment of the glass panels while requiring less labor and inventory of parts.
Adjustment of the glass panels within the base assembly for aligning the vertical joints between adjacent panels is not easily accomplished in prior art ornamental handrail systems. To properly set and align a panel, the panel and edge spacer must be removed from the base assembly and the setting blocks shimmed. The panel is then reinstalled and alignment checked. If proper alignment is not achieved by the first shimming process, the panel must be removed again and the process repeated. A need therefore exists for a means of leveling the glass panels of an ornamental handrail system which does not necessitate removal of the glass panels from the base assembly.
The cap rail members set atop the glass panels of prior art ornamental handrail systems are typically fastened to the top of the panels with mechanical fasteners such as screws or the like or are adhered to the top of the panels with an epoxy adhesive. Mechanical fasteners suffer the disadvantage of requiring additional inventory of parts which are subject to misplacement and which are somewhat time-consuming to install. Epoxy adhesives tend to be messy and also require an undesirable amount of time to apply. Thus, there is a further need for a means of securing a cap rail member atop the glass panels of an ornamental handrail system which permits quick assembly and eliminates the need for adhesives or separate mechanical fasteners.